Gods and Monsters is the 2nd episode of Season 14. It aired on October 18, 2018.
Summary
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There was something about being there... It felt pure. This episode summary is an official CW press release. It may contain errors. DO NOT CHANGE! |
Sam finds a clue to Dean's whereabouts, so he, Mary (guest star Samantha Smith) and Bobby (guest star Jim Beaver) set out to investigate. Castiel imparts some sage advice on Jack, who, still desperate to belong, seeks out a familial connection.
Plot
In a church, Michael is conducting experiments on vampires. He slits one’s throat to collect blood, mixing it with angelic grace. When he forces the vampire to drink it, the body burns out due to an incorrect balance between the two substances.
At the bunker, Sam uncovers police reports from Duluth describing a pile of corpses with their eyes burnt out. Castiel suspects Michael is behind it. Sam, Bobby, and Mary prepare to investigate, leaving Castiel behind to “babysit” Nick and Jack.
Castiel brings nourishment to Nick, when Castiel avoids eye contact, Nick reminds him he’s not Lucifer. Though Castiel understands, he still finds it difficult to look at him. Nick admits he doesn’t know why he agreed to be Lucifer’s vessel. Castiel responds that it was because of his family—Sarah and Teddy.
Sam, Mary, and Bobby examine the bodies in Duluth and discover they’re not human, but vampires. This raises questions about Michael’s intentions and why he’s hunting them.
Back at the bunker, Castiel speaks with Jack and notes he appears to be reading “two centuries' worth of biblical lore.” Jack explains he’s researching how long it takes for an archangel’s grace to replenish. Castiel says it could range from a month to a century, and that Jack’s human nature will slow the process. Frustrated by his powerlessness, Jack feels useless, but Castiel reassures him that what matters is not the past, but the future.
Elsewhere, Michael stares at his reflection in a hotel mirror while wearing a tuxedo. Dean appears in the reflection, demanding he leave. Michael responds, “I don’t think so,” and smashes the glass, reasserting control.
Back in the bunker, Nick tells Castiel there’s no record of his family’s case ever being solved. When Castiel reaches out to comfort him, Nick's expression changes and he snaps his fingers, warning him not to touch him which momentarily frightens Castiel. Castiel asks why he just did that, Nick appears unaware of what happened. Castiel begins to suspect Lucifer’s influence may still linger.
Sam’s, Mary and Bobby raid a female vampire’s place and says they know who she is. She insists her group only fed on animal blood—until “he” arrived. She explains that he tied them up and drained their blood, experimenting rather than killing. When she seems to have no further information, Bobby steps forward to eliminate her. She begs for her life, offering Michael’s location in exchange.
Meanwhile, Michael sits with two werewolves, admiring how they kill to survive rather than for sport. He claims God is on permanent vacation and that demons and angels no longer matter—leaving him in charge. He tells them to become hunters, not be hunted.
Jack visits his grandparents, posing as a friend of Kelly’s, since he doubts they’d believe he’s their grandson due to his age. He shares that Kelly is pregnant with a son, is a loving mother, and that her child loves her. Overwhelmed, they tear up with joy.
Later, Castiel scolds Jack for going out alone, warning that both angels and demons are after him. Jack says he just wanted to meet the only real family he has left. Castiel doesn’t argue and instead asks if the visit helped. Jack nods, then wonders if Sam’s team has found Michael. Castiel says no—and says their goal is to get Michael out of Dean. Jack firmly insists they should kill Michael, even if it means losing Dean.
Nick confronts Arty, angry that he denies seeing anyone enter his house the night of the murders. Nick recalls police reports saying the killer used a hammer to bash in his family’s skulls. Arty continues to deny it, saying he saw no man has entered the house. Enraged, Nick slams him against the wall, convinced he’s hiding something.
Sam, Mary, and Bobby arrive at Michael's former location-a church-only to be ambushed by werewolves. Silver bullets prove ineffective, so Sam decides to resort to decapitation when nothing works. Once the pack is dead, the doors burst open. Michael stands before them-only to be revealed he's actually Dean. Sam is stunned, but Dean explains Michael left his body for reasons unknown.
Nick stares at a mirror, all covered in blood, he holds up and looks at the blood stained hammer, and walks away, leaving the now deceased Arty to himself.
Characters
Main Cast
- Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester
- Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester and Alternate Michael
- Misha Collins as Castiel
- Mark Pellegrino as Nick
- Alexander Calvert as Jack Kline
Recurring Cast
Special Guest Stars
Guest Stars
Co-Stars
- Meganne Young as Lydia Crawford
- Michael Bean as Arty Nielson
- Fred Keating as Jack Kline
- Andrea Drepaul as Melanie
- Ben Wilkinson as Philippe
- Chilton Crane as Mrs. Kline
- Hamza Fouad as Neighbor Man
- Patricia Drake as Coroner
Featured Supernatural Beings
- Angel (Anael, mentioned only)
- Archangel (Alternate Michael; Lucifer, mentioned/flashbacks; Gabriel, flashback)
- Deities (Mercury, flashback)
- Nephilim (Jack Kline)
- Primordial Entity (God, mentioned only)
- Seraph (Castiel)
- Vampires (Lydia Crawford)
- Werewolves (Melanie, Philippe, Church Attackers)
Continuity
- Dean Winchester previously appeared in Let the Good Times Roll.
- A werewolf was previously featured in Let the Good Times Roll.
- Sarah and Teddy were mentioned. They previously appeared in Sympathy for the Devil.
Trivia
- The episode was watched by 1.53 million viewers and got a 0.5 rating.
- The title of the episode could be a reference to the film of the same name.
- This is the sixth episode that Richard Speight Jr. directed. As of this episode, he has surpassed Jensen Ackles and is now the cast member to direct more than five episodes.
- This is the second episode written by Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming that he directed with the Season 13 episode War of the Worlds being the first one.
- Richard makes a brief cameo when Nick remembers Lucifer "killing" Gabriel from Season 5's Hammer of the Gods.
- The Vampire Diaries, a fellow The CW show, also had an episode with the same name as the season finale of its seventh season.
- Lydia Crawford mentions that they are feeding on animal blood. This could also be a reference to how Stefan Salvatore used to live.
- Kelly Kline's parents make their first appearances in this episode. They are shown to know that Kelly was pregnant and were told that she was going on a trip when she went on the run after getting pregnant with Jack.
- It is revealed in this episode that Kelly Kline named Jack, her son, after her father.
- Alternate Michael leaves Dean Winchester's body in this episode for an unknown reason.
- This is the first episode where Jack calls Castiel "Cass".
- Michael's plan is revealed to be to create an army of monsters enhanced with angel grace to destroy the human race. His enhanced werewolves were immune to silver, but not to decapitation.
- Castiel reveals to Nick that what happened to his vessel Jimmy Novak and Jimmy's family is the greatest regret of his long life.
- Though not outright stated, Nick presumably learned that Arty Nielson was his wife and son's killer and took revenge upon him for it given that Nick killed Arty in the same way that his family was murdered.
- Nick's flashbacks include Lucifer killing Mercury and supposedly Gabriel during Season 5's Hammer of the Gods and the psychological torture he went through at the hands of Lucifer in Sympathy for the Devil to get Nick to say "yes."
- When angry at Castiel, Nick snaps his fingers at him in the same way Lucifer used Molecular Combustion to kill his enemies or those who angered him. After looking into Nick's mind, Castiel states that while Lucifer is gone, he may have done more damage to Nick's psyche than they had realized.
- Michael states that he considers angels and demons to no longer be a factor in the Main Universe, presumably due to the lack of angels currently and the demons' lack of a leader.
- Michael's smiting of Lydia Crawford is similar to how Asmodeus smote several demons in Season 13's The Rising Son.
- The way that Sam, Mary and Bobby investigate a mysterious death only to learn that it's a vampire is similar to Season 2's Bloodlust where the Winchesters investigate a decapitation only to learn that its a dead vampire.
- Bobby mentions that he has been fighting the Apocalypse in his world for fifteen years, suggesting that the preparations for the Apocalypse began around 2003 in Apocalypse World. In Season 13's Unfinished Business, it was mentioned that the Apocalypse began around 2010 as in the Main Universe.
- It is unclear how Michael got the grace for his experiments. He possibly used his since there are almost no angels left in the Main Universe.
- The teeth of the werewolves in this episode, even the ones not enhanced by angel grace, appear to have a different appearance than previously seen werewolf teeth.
- Dean's manifestation in a mirror is similar to Sam's possession by Lucifer in Swan Song.
International Titles
- Hungarian: Istenek és szörnyek (Gods and Monsters)
- Italian: Dei e Mostri (Gods and Monsters)